Drew Dowdell

Today at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Cadillac unveiled the refreshed Cadillac CT5 sedan. CT5 retail sales have been on an upswing of late, increasing over 35%. In a time when sedan sales are stagnating or disappearing entirely, Cadillac's positive numbers have given hope that the luxury sedan market isn't quite dead yet. The refresh of the CT5 begins with the exterior. A new larger, bolder grille is flanked by new vertically stacked headlamps and Cadillac's signature fangs. The LED light clusters feature an animated startup sequence that "celebrates" you as you approach the car. Two new exterior colors are available; Deep Space Metallic and Typhoon Metallic. The Sport model grill features a mesh insert while standard models feature the Cadillac chevron. The cockpit gets a major upgrade with a customizable 33-inch diagonal 9k digital information cluster and infotainment system. The 9k resolution enables extremely crisp graphics and brings depth to the look. The infotainment system features Google Assistant, Google Maps, and Google Play built in. Updated HVAC controls complete the upgrade. Cadillac SuperCruise is available, now upgraded with new Driver Attention Assist. A new safety feature is standard Intersection Automatic Emergency Braking. The familiar 237 hp / 258 lb-ft 2-liter turbo 4 and the 335 hp / 405 lb-ft 3-liter turbo V6 carry over along with the 10-speed automatic. The 2025 CT5 goes on sale in the spring of 2024 and will be built in GM's Lansing Grand River Assembly in Michigan. View full article

Tonight at an event ahead of the Detroit Auto Show, Ford unveiled the updated 2024 Ford F-150. Starting in 2024, the F-150 will drop the base 3.3-liter naturally aspirated V6 in favor of the familiar 2.7-liter Ecoboost V6. This increases standard power across the line by 25 horsepower and a whopping 135 lb-ft of torque. Additionally, citing a 28% increase in hybrid F-150 sales, Ford is increasing production of the hybrid powertrain to meet this demand. Ford expects to double the mix of hybrid availability in the coming years and aims to be one of the best selling hybrids across all segments. To help achieve that goal, Ford has matched the MSRP of the 3.5 Powerboost Hybrid to that of the 3.5 Ecoboost gasoline model. The Powerboost hybrid powertrain is available on XLT through Platinum Plus models. Hybrid power doesn't mean low power either. The Powerboost hybrid can produce a maximum of 430 horsepower and a stump ripping 570 lb-ft of torque. Available on Powerboost equipped trucks is the Pro Power option, up to a 7.2 kWh power-on-demand capacity for running tools and even some household appliances. This is the most powerful power export option in full-size trucks. Pro Power is available in 2.0 kWh, 2.4 kWh, and 7.2 kWh options. Ford has upgraded their Blue Cruise system to version 1.2 to allow for new features like Lane-Change Assist and In-Lane Repositioning. New for 2024 is is the Ford Pro Access tailgate. Ford widened the step cut-out and increased bumper depth to create the best tailgate experience yet: Pro Access Tailgate. The F-150 with available Pro Access Tailgate is the only pickup in its class to offer a 100-degree fully opened integrated swing gate. Opening from the driver’s side, this solution reduces walking distance to the tailgate handle, facilitates operation when towing, and even features a specially designed integrated handle for easy entry and exit of the swing door opening. The swinging door has built-in stops thanks to the use of detents, or devices to position and hold parts in place, in the door’s internal mechanism, which help avoid banging the door into the trailer jack, offering a seamless user experience even when towing. The 2023 F-150 will continue to be built in Ford's Michigan and Missouri plants and should go on sale in just a few weeks View full article

Best I can do under $25k and fully equipped is a Kia Rio or a Hyundai Venue. Even the Sentra clocks in at $27k and the Mirage is dead.

It costs them literally nothing extra to stick some Envisions they're already building on a boat. The shipping is built into the MSRP and destination charge. They've gotta keep building them for China, so there's no harm in sending a few over here, plus it gives GMC dealers a few vehicles to cover price points below the Terrain, which is now $29,900. Because that isn't the case. They are selling over a million a year in China. Tossing a couple thousand on a boat twice a week doesn't cost anything. Ford killed off the Fusion for dumb reasons, but one of those was that there were far too many product option. The Fusion had 4 different engines, 2 hybrids, FWD or AWD. And they weren't getting volume advantages by building them all in one plant. The Euro Fusions were built in Europe. The US Fusions in North America. The China Fusions in China. The Buicks have one or two engine options each and each model is built in one plant for the whole globe.